Palo Duro fetes retiring wrestling icon, Coach Nelson

Palo Duro wrestling coach Steve Nelson is congratulated by students and fans on his 26-year coaching career Thursday night at Palo Duro High School. Nelson, who is retiring as coach after this season, coached in his home finale.

Those were the words shouted by 20-plus Palo Duro wrestlers Thursday after honoring their head coach, Steve Nelson, before his final home dual match. The wrestlers jumped around their longtime coach, celebrating the announcement of his retirement.

After 26 years of coaching, and 40 years of participating, Nelson is hanging up the wrestling boots. Despite how cliche that sounds, it’s accurate. Nelson isn’t retiring completely, just from coaching. He will continue to teach health at Palo Duro.

“It has been a great experience,” Nelson said. “I’ve had a lot of success. At the same time, it was a very challenging experience. When you take a job, you hope for it to be challenging. My goal from the time I started here was to win a state championship. I’ve been fortunate enough to have won two state championships (2001 and 2003) and a national championship (2001).”

On the other side of the mat from Nelson, coaching the opposing team, was none other than Boys Ranch coach and good friend Paul Jones.

“It couldn’t be more special,” Nelson said. “I really am honored to wrestle coach Jones. He’s a great coach, a great role model and a great friend. It’s always great competing against your friend. I can take a loss from Coach Jones and still hold my head up knowing that I got beat by a great coach and I hope he feels the same.”

Nelson, though, didn’t take a loss in his final home dual. His boys team beat Boys Ranch, 54-25. And his girls team beat Bushland, 36-18.

Since Nelson began wrestling at the age of 9 to now coaching his final season at age 49, his mom, Mary Nelson, has been by his side.

“I could count on one hand the number of matches she has missed since I was 9 years old,” Steve said. “Without my mom, I could never have accomplished the things I did myself as an athlete or the things I’ve done as a coach with these kids.”

Mary Nelson said she is going to miss the weekly matches that have been a part of her life for so long.

“It’s going to be real hard,” Mary Nelson said. “I’ve been with him through whatever he did. It didn’t make a difference. He wanted to wrestle. I’m one of the mothers who no matter what he does I’m right there with him. Whatever he did he kept going to accomplish whatever he wanted. I was right there behind him, screaming and hollering regardless if he wanted me to scream and holler or not. It’s going to be sad to see him not have anything to do with wrestling. That’s 40 years of wrestling with Steve coming to an end.”

Senior Kelsey Baker, who pinned her opponent, said everything this season is dedicated to her coach in his final season.

“Like I said on my Facebook status,” Baker said. “Once he announced this was his last year, every decision, every major and every pin is all for him. If I win state, that’s the biggest thing I can give him. If not, I’m giving him my all. He’s a phenomenal coach. He’s one of the best of the best. I moved here for him. He’s one of the greatest coaches I’ve ever had. He’s a phenomenal person as well.”

Janice Gooden won a state title in 2001 at 148 pounds and was a part of the team that won state and nationals that same season.

“Coach Nelson is awesome,” Gooden said. “He’s tough, but he’s tough because he loves the sport. As tough as he was, he was fun and fair. I definitely wouldn’t have wrestled under anybody else. It’ll be a big loss to lose him here for the teams coming up.”

Gooden said Nelson was one of the best motivators.

“As an athlete you have lazy days, and he was really good at encouraging you,” Gooden said. “Twelve years later I still remember my senior year at the state tournament. We were in the last two minutes and I was down a couple points. He stands up and yells ‘You better shoot or you’re going to lose,’ and I did and pinned her, and it was awesome.”

Nelson said he thinks every win is a success story.

“To me, people always want to beat Palo Duro,” Nelson said. “They feel that they should beat Palo Duro. When we are able to take a team and go down to the state championships and win a state title or go the nationals and win the nationals or even go across town and beat another school, every time we do that is another proud moment for me.”

Nelson is most proud of his two state championships and one national championship.

“Palo Duro was founded in 1955,” Nelson said. “There have been three state championships. Two of them belong to Palo Duro wrestling. Those are two things that I’m going to be very proud of when I stay here and teach.”

Jones couldn’t have been happier to be a part of Nelson’s final home dual, even if his team came out on the losing end.

“I told coach Nelson that it just wouldn’t feel right looking across the mat and seeing someone else as the PD coach after 26 years of battling him,” Jones said. “He does a great job at Palo Duro. It will take a special person to replace him there. It will have to be someone that knows how to teach the snake, PD’s signature move under Nelson.

“It is hard to put into words what Nelson’s friendship has means to me. We have shared so many great memories together. He is the one that got me into MMA. I never would have fought Chuck Liddell had it not been for Nelson. You know that he is a pretty good guy when your daughters really think he is Uncle Steve.”